


Build

by rossignols



Category: Red Rising Series - Pierce Brown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21605773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rossignols/pseuds/rossignols
Summary: Darrow arrives home, at last, after spending months doing ArchImperator duties. And partially ignoring his Sovereign's order to make his way home as soon as possible.
Relationships: Darrow au Andromedus/Virginia au Augustus | Mustang
Kudos: 31





	Build

**Author's Note:**

> Set 4 years after Morning Star. This AU would not be followed by the events of the follow-up trilogy (so they remain happy).

**Darrow**

It was dark by the time Darrow reached their house. Time seemed to be on pause as he stepped on the porch, no rustling of leaves or any other sound other than his deep breaths. Darrow was glad to be back, but his arrival was unannounced, and very much late. He knew his wife would have words to say to him- she was the one to summon him back- which was the exact reason why he chose to arrive at night when he was sure she was sound asleep.

He stepped inside, the click of the door closing made him shut his eyes and draw in another deep breath. It has been a while but he never forgot the smell of his home- Darrow almost always associated it with his wife’s perfume- and how he must be cautious on stepping on one of his four year old son’s loud toy ships he sometimes leaves on places you wouldn’t think he’d leave it. He was able to spot one camouflaged by the stairs, he slowly put it somewhere safer before ascending,

Pax’s room was farthest in the corridor, next to theirs; his first stop. His feet barely made a sound as he moved to Pax’s closed door. Darrow’s hand hovers over the knob, he shook his head then turns it and steps in as silently as possible so he wouldn’t disturb—

A vacant room.

The bed was made, and very tidy for a child’s. It had the look of something that hadn’t been touched in weeks. Darrow uncovered Pax’s toy chest, all was there except his favorite. And he knew. 

He smiled to himself and headed out. 

This time, he goes to where he and his wife slept. Darrow spotted Pax’s little head from under the covers, curled next to his mother. Darrow watches his peaceful face- he rarely got to do it- and pressed a kiss to the back of his head.

Then he moved to his wife. 

Her hair was splayed on the pillow, like rays of sunshine coming through the window slats. How he missed her dearly.  
She lay on her side, Darrow hovered over her, he slipped a hand under the covers, and settled it lightly on her waist. He kissed her temple, causing her to stir. His hand moved because of her stirring and—

He drew away abruptly, staring at her.

Mustang looked up at him sleepily over her shoulder, eyes squinted, surpsied. “Darrow?”

Pax stirred next to her, she turned to him for awhile, rubbing his back until he settled back to sleep. Darrow watched her sit up, he doesn’t move closer.

“It’s why I called,” his wife said quietly. “But it seems, you took detours.”

“If you told me-“

“I said we had an emergency,” Mustang interrupted. Darrow observed her eyes, her brows, her mouth; her face in general, for signs of anger. She looked calm; the eyes that studied him back felt tender. “And that you are wanted, and needed, as soon as possible.”

“Why haven’t you changed from those?” Mustang asks when Darrow doesn’t say a word. He was at fault, partially ignoring his Sovereign’s summons to attend to other matters. Their world was changing, but it still wasn’t as safe as he’d like it to be, but it was safer than it was before everything.

“I..” Darrow looks down at himself, at all the heavy metal on him. He was dressed for war, for fights. There was no need of it now that he was home. “I’ll be right back.”

“Are you hungry?” Mustang asks before he left for the bathroom.

“Well,” He hadn’t thought about hunger, and Mustang knew it. 

She sighed. “Go change, I’ll come up with something.”

The bathroom smelled of Mustang’s shampoo, he closed his eyes, breathing in what he missed as lukewarm water washed away his fatigue. Pax was still sleeping soundly when he stepped out in more comfortable clothes. His wife was no longer in the room, he felt somewhat guilty for waking her at this untimely hour. Then again, he missed his wife. He wanted to spend time alone with her.

The kitchen smelled of coffee, tea, bacon, and pastries. Some days all he ate was stale bread, he usually sat brooding with it in his hand if Sevro wouldn’t snap him out and talk to him. 

There was still the matter he wanted to discuss, the reason he drew away from his wife came rushing back to him. He watches her pile bacon on his plate, her nightgown once loose, now fit just right on her, particularly on her rounded belly.

Mustang noticed where Darrow’s gaze lingered. She runs a hand down her belly. “Took you this long to come home.”

“When I left,” Darrow said, having found his voice. “Did you already know?”

“No,” Mustang took the seat across Darrow’s. “I found out late. You were already gone a month, it was how far along I was, too, apparently. It was your mother who told me to go see a doctor.”

It took Darrow four months to come home because of the...detours as Mustang called it. Sevro wanted to hurry back when he heard of Mustang’s summons, Darrow let him go first. When he should’ve hurried back, too.

“Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”

Mustang smiled. “I figured you’d brood more than you already do.”

Darrow shook his head, scoffing. He stared at his bacon-filled plate, then asked. “Do you know the...gender?”

“No, I wanted you to be present,” Mustang leaned back on the chair, rubbing her belly in small circles. “Pax thinks it’s a girl. I do, too.”

A whistle sounded, Mustang turned to it, mumbling. “Oh, the coffee.”

Darrow followed her out to where the kettle was whistling. Some of their belongings were old-fashioned, and they loved it that way. Mustang took the kettle out, setting it on the counter. It could’ve been because he hadn’t seen her in months, but he was entranced; he couldn’t look away from his wife.

“What are you thinking?” Mustang faced him, observing the small smile playing on his lips.

“I don’t know, I-” Darrow runs a hand through his longer hair. “I like seeing you like this.”

“What?” Mustang laughed. “Heavy? Round?”

“Glowing,” Darrow said. He moved toward her, placed his hands on her waist and pressed a kiss on her forehead. He leaned down to kiss her lips, Mustang let him, placing her smaller hands on his broad shoulders. 

She pushed hair out of Darrow’s face, breaking away. “She started to kick recently. Would you like to feel?”

Darrow stiffened, brows furrowing. He had never seen Mustang carry Pax, wasn’t even present at his birth, nor was he able to feel him move from within Mustang. Now that he had all the chances, he was nervous. 

Mustang saw his anxiety. “It’s okay.” She took his hands, moved them to the sides of her belly, and kept them there. It took long for the child to kick, Darrow was about to pull his hands away when he felt two strong nudges from underneath his palm.

Darrow found the world suddenly floating around him in bursts of color. 

“Virginia,” he said suddenly, pressing two kisses to her brow. His fists bunched up the cotton of her dress on the sides of her belly, then he knelt in front of her, pressing his ear to her stomach. Mustang smiled down at him, toying with his hair; he pulled her closer. 

Pax would wake in the morning to find his father asleep next to him. He would snuggle against him so hard, Darrow would wake and take his son in his arms. Pax would then drag his father out the room, silently, whispering, “If Mother wakes, so does my little sister.”  
He would take his father to their yard, and they would start to build together.


End file.
